Synonyms for cruelty
Most common
ruthlessness brutality barbarity inhumanity harshness severity
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Ruthlessness — an indifference to suffering or pleasure in inflicting suffering
ruthlessness, brutality, barbarity, inhumanity, barbarism, ferocity, mercilessness, brutishness, pitilessness
2. Harshness
Other
Definitions
- n. 1
An indifference to suffering or pleasure in inflicting suffering.
- n. 2
A cruel act.
Forms
- Plural
- cruelties → ruthlessnesses, brutalities, barbarities, inhumanities…
Example sentences
- brutality Mennad has never seen any atrocities or brutality.
- inhumanity God's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn.
- ruthlessness The ruthlessness of the mission provoked a scandal in Paris.
- harshness Find a mean between harshness and indulgence.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| cruelty | rising | |
| brutality | rising | |
| inhumanity | steady | |
| ruthlessness | steady | |
| barbarity | rising | |
| harshness | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 8 letters
- severity4, ferocity4
- 9 letters
- brutality4, barbarism4, harshness2, barbarity4, cruelness
- 10 letters
- inhumanity5, inclemency
- 11 letters
- viciousness3, brutishness
- 12 letters
- ruthlessness3, pitilessness
- 13 letters
- mercilessness, unfeelingness
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (severity4 = 4 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- cruauté
- Italiano
- crudeltà
- Español
- crueldad
- Deutsch
- Grausamkeit
- Català
- crueltat